Life-preserver



A. D. FRANTZ.

LIF E PRESERVER. APPLICATION FILED APR.26} 1920.

1,397,248. Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I A. D. FRANTZ.

LIFE PRESERVER. APPLICATION FILED APR-26. 1920.

1397,2 18. Patented Nov. 15, 1921'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALBERT I). FRANTZ, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

LIFE-PRESERVEB.

memes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Application. filed April 26, 1920. Serial No. 376,684!

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT D. FRANTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michi an, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Life-Preservers, of which the following description and appended claims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, form a specification.

The present invention has relation to life preservers in which an inflatable container strapped to the person is employed.

A characteristic feature and important object of the present invention lies in the arrangement of a hermetically-sealed fluid container within a gas-forming chamber of the life preserver, and with a suitably placed wing screw operated by the wearer releas-' ing said fluid from said container, said fluid mingling with certaln dry chemicals w1th1n said gas-forming chamber and generating gas for sustaining the wearer when in water.

Another object of the invention is to construct a life preserver so arranged that by inflating the same the wearer may safely intrust himself to its support when in the water.

These and other objects and advantages will be readily comprehended by those familiar with the art to which this invention appertains.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of my improved life preserver showing one series of its gas buoys fully inflated, the remainder not having been inflated.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the life preserver on the line 2 of Fig. 1 looking toward the left, and shows the harness connection at that point.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the harness belt at a point where it passes through the shoulder strap at the back.

Fig. 4t is a sectional plan View of the life preserver and harness belt.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged crosssect1on of one of the gas generating receptacles on the line 00 of Fig. 4:, looking to the left.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of Fig. 4 on the dotted line 2', and shows a slitted rubber disk or diaphragm located between the carbid and buoy-inflating compartments.

Like marks of reference refer to corresponding or equivalent parts in the diiferent views in which A represents the gas-generating receptacles of my improved life preserver. These receptacles consist of elongated tubular cups abutting at their closed ends, said ends being screw-threaded and connected by means of an encompassing screw-threaded union 1, the oppositely-disposed ends of the cups being also eXteriorly screw-threaded and fitted with off-set gas conduits 2. The gas conduits as shown extend in the same general direction, and when the life preserver is strapped to a person the gas-receptacles are in front and the conduits on either side of the user.

Attached to or forming a part of the gas conduits at their rear extremities, and at or near their attachment tothegas generating receptacles, small ball check valves 3 are fitted. As shown, these valves are of the ball type. However, valves of other approved style would answer the same purpose, viz., readily respond to outflowing gas pressure and hermetically seal against'back pressure when the initial flow of gas subsided below an equilibrium in the receptacles between which they were located. The condults 4c governed by said valves connect directly with flexible, inflatable gas-holding buoys B arranged in quadrangular form, and when the life preserver is belted to a person the buoys are alined at the sides of the wearer.

Gas is supplied to the buoys from the gasgenerating receptacles A through the chemical decomposition of calcium carbid and water carried in said receptacles and to be drawn upon at such time as an emergency may arise. Calcium carbid, or other gasforming chemicals of equivalent nature, as 5, is placed in said receptacles either in tablet or powdered form antecedent to screwing the gas conduits 2 in place, at which time, also, vials of water, 6, are placed within said receptacles. These vials are of glass, corked and sealed with screw-caps,-and are held in a locked position by retaining bands 7 against the forward inner walls of said receptacles and directly over apertures through which wing screws 8 lead. That the chemicals in the receptacles A may be both confined therein and not affected by atmospheric influences, flexible disks 9 of rubber or other equivalent material are placed between the ends of said receptacles and gasket seats 10 of the conduits 2. These disks also form retaining walls and preclude the chemicals from entering the valve openings to the gas buoys, but that gas when generated in said receptacles may escape and flow into the conduit 2, said disks are provided with small slits 11 which normally are closed, but which v readily open by the vials of water, 6, are broken, causing a chemical decomposition of the carbid and producing gas with which the supporting buoys B are inflated, and also filling the chambers to both the containers A and conduits 2, effecting a stable and efiicient buoy for the purpose designed. i

A feature of'great importance in the hfe preserver is that a person may inflate it before taking to the water or even strapplng it. to his person, whereas many devices calculated for a like purpose depend wholly upon the action of the water into which they are forcibly plunged to effect a llberatlon of gases within the apparatus and cause them to become active, thereby causing great mental as well has physical stress to the wearer of the preserver.

An embodiment of my invention for securing the life preserver proper to a person is very clearlyshown in Fig. 1, 1n whlch a body-encircling belt C and a combined shoulder strapping D and suspensory 19 are employed. The belt is protected in front by a pad 12 to prevent any heat that might arise in the generating of gases in the receptacles A from affecting the person around whom'said belt was strapped. As shown, this pad, as well as the belt G, is connected to the gas receptacles by means of clasps 13, one being located either side of the center or connecting union 1 of said receptacles.

These clasps pass through apertures 14 in the pad 12 and'pass by the shoulder strap D at its sides and pass over the belt C, and form guides between which both said belt i c and shoulder strapsmay freely play and yet I i be securely connected to the inflatable buoys. At the back-an elongated loop 15 is formed with the shoulderstrap, and through this 7 loop the belt 0 is engaged, the belt being further connected to the sustaining buoys by side engaging loops 16. That both said shoulder strap and belt may be quickly fitted to the wearer, rings, as 17, are attached at intervals on the front of the neck band 7 tothe shoulder strap and on the outer end of the belt, the opposite end of the belt and the upper front extremity of the suspensory, carrying sprlng snaps 18 with which to en-' gage sald rmgs and fasten belt securely on.

the wearer. V

A harness of the character set forth is fit-v ted to a person with the shoulder strapping D.on either side of the head and neck with server, and Treserve the right to all such changesin construction and material as are withinthe scope of my:1nvent1on. I

Having therefore set forth my invention,

What I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. in a life preserver, the combination of a gas charging receptacle, gas forming ingredients both a dry and liquid substance, said liquid substance being hermetically sealed in a glass vial, said vial being detachably fitted in said gas-forming receptacle, a thumb-screw extending from the exterior of said receptacle through the walls thereof and bearing against said vial,"whereby said vial may be shattered and liberate said fluid to commingle with said dry substance and generate gas, substantially as and for. the

purpose set forth.

2. In a life preserver, the combination with a body belt, of a metallic hermeticallyclosed receptacle arranged in front and at the sides of the wearer, said receptacle comprising a gas' enerating chamber and side condults, llexibde inflatable buoys attached to and communlcating with said side conduits, check valves interposed in said conduits between said buoys, said valve being amenable to gaspressure from said gas generating chamber but retentive of returned gas pressure, flexible diaphragms interposed between saidgas-generating chamber and said conduits, a gas-forming dry chemical carried in said gas-generating chamber, a hermetically closed vial of water affixed in said chamber, and means to fracture said vial and liberatesaid water to mix with said chemical to generate gas for inflating said life. preserver, substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a life preserver, the combination with a body belt, of a metallic hermeticallyclosed receptacle arranged in front and at the sides of its wearer, saidreceptacle comprising two cups exteriorly screw-threaded at both their open and closed ends, a union connecting the abutting closed ends, conduits screw-threaded over the outer ends of said cups, flexible slitte'd diaphragms interposed between said cups and said conduits,

said diaphragms capable of yielding to predetermined pressure flexible inflatable buoys suspended from said conduits, check valves interposed between said buoys and said conduits, said valves being amenable to pressure of gas from said cups but retentive to a return flow from said buoys, gasforming dry chemicals carried in said cups, hermetically-closed vials of Water carried in said cups, and means on the exterior of said cups to break said vials and allow the Water to mix with said chemicals and generate gas to inflate said life preserver, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a life preserver, the combination of a gas-charging receptacle, was conduits connected therewith, flexible slitted diaphragms interposed between said receptacle and said conduits, latent gas-forming ingredients carried in said chamber and prevented from entering said conduits by said diaphragms and also from deterioration from atmospheric influences by said diaphragrns, substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT D. FRANTZ. Witnesses BURTON W. CLARK, J. B. DEXTER. 

